8 Great Frozen Entrees When You Need a Fast-Food Fix
The hitch? The only people who know less than restaurant chefs when it comes to portion control are the stressed-out and starving. (You know the feeling: You deserve to supersize something after the day you’ve had.)
The fix? Stock your freezer with healthy versions of your fave takeout treats — ones that are delicious enough to keep you driving right past the fast-food palace. Honest, they exist. Just check this list, tested by a bunch of tough-to-please tasters.
PIZZA: Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Style Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza
Here’s a great way to soothe pizza cravings without worrying about the two-slice cutoff! The flatbread crust is topped with creamy garlic sauce, chicken, and cheese. And it crisps up perfectly in the microwave.
ENCHILADAS: Amy’s Light in Sodium Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas
Dig into two corn tortillas filled with black beans, corn, zucchini, tofu, and bell peppers, all covered in mild enchilada sauce. Note that there’s a low-sodium version of this meal: 380 milligrams versus 780 milligrams in the regular version. Smart. High-salt hits are hard to avoid in most frozen food, so take advantage.
BURRITO: Cedarlane Low Fat Beans, Rice & Cheese Style Burrito
This almost sounds too healthful to be fun, but even our burrito junkies loved this dish of pinto beans, soy cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and organic brown rice wrapped in a warm wheat tortilla. For extra zing, top it off with your favorite salsa.
PANINI: Lean Cuisine Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Panini
Okay, it’s not quite the same as the corner bistro’s, but a little perspective here: Eating just half of Panera Bread’s Frontega Chicken Panini would cost you 400 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 1080 milligrams of sodium! This is faster, cheaper, much healthier, and surprisingly satisfying.
THAI NOODLES: Seeds of Change Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles
You don’t have to be a nutritionist to figure out that large servings of noodles drenched in peanut sauce are hazardous to your waist. Not these. The linguini is made with healthy semolina wheat flour, and there’s plenty of zippy ginger-peanut sauce flavoring the noodles, veggies, and tofu (done just right — nice and firm).
RAVIOLI: Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli
This indulgent-tasting dish features pillowy squash ravioli with a creamy pumpkin-like filling, surrounded by yellow and orange carrots, snap peas, and chopped walnuts, all covered with a light cream sauce. Bonus: It gives you almost all the vitamin A you need for the whole day.
MAC ‘N’ CHEESE: Smart Ones Three Cheese Macaroni
Every now and then, you need a taste of your favorite childhood dish. If mac and cheese is yours, this one will soothe your inner 5-year-old’s needs for just 300 warm, creamy calories.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken
A delicious bowl of tender snow peas, carrots, broccoli, and grilled chicken breast on a bed of seven whole grains that are flavored with a lemongrass-coconut sauce — this meal smells almost as good as it tastes.
Encouraging Health has more weight loss tips and hints.
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